Fuel Management

Valvoline and tiwi Launch Fleet Fuel Mileage Program

November 12, 2009
• by Staff

Valvoline, a leading brand of fuel-efficient truck engine oils, lubricants and chemicals, is teaming up with tiwi, an innovator in telematics and driver-mentoring systems, to launch the first and only program proven to deliver better fleet fuel mileage, backed with an exclusive limited Fuel Proof Guarantee.

The Fuel Proof Guarantee covers a 120-day customer demonstration period and is being offered to fleet operators with a minimum demo of 30 trucks. Valvoline and tiwi work with fleet maintenance managers to establish baseline data, using the tiwi onboard system. Valvoline's Premium Blue Extreme engine oil and Syn Gard FE gear oil are then installed. Additionally, the tiwi verbal-coaching system is activated to provide drivers with real-time verbal mentoring about speeding violations, aggressive driving, other inefficient habits, seat belt use and more.

After the completion of the Fuel Proof customer demonstration period, if the fleet has not shown an increase in fuel economy, Valvoline and tiwi will remove their products from the vehicles used in the demonstration and reimburse the fleet for any incremental costs.

John Noal, vice president-International and Commercial Platforms for The Valvoline Co., explains the need for a mileage improvement guarantee. "Fleet customers are understandably highly skeptical about mpg claims. They need proof that they're going to get better mpg with their own drivers, in their own operations. The limited Fuel Proof Guarantee is a risk-free way for fleets to prove that our mpg gains are for real."

Todd Follmer, CEO for tiwi, noted, "According to EPA statistics, driving habits affect mpg by as much as 35 percent. Fleet testing has proven that using tiwi in-vehicle mentoring will decrease aggressive driving events by 89 percent and speeding violations by 86 percent. The EPA reports that simply obeying posted speed limits will increase fuel efficiency by as much as 23 percent."

Voters in Missouri, Utah, and Washington rejected state ballot measures on Tuesday that would have added new taxes on fuel or energy use by fleet vehicles, while California voters elected to keep increased fuel taxes in place to fund the state's infrastructure.

The national average gasoline price has fallen to a six-month low at $2.76 for a gallon of unleaded fuel on the same day the U.S. reimposed sanctions on Iran, which haven't driven prices high as the oil market has remained steady.

The national average gasoline price fell 4 cents to $2.85 per gallon for the week ending Oct. 22, as the price has given way following several weeks of lower demand. The price is where it was a month ago and 39 cents higher than a year ago.

Most states saw lower fuel prices this week, as the nation's average gasoline price fell 2 cents to $2.89 per gallon for the week ending Oct. 15. A handful of states on the west coast and southeast saw higher prices due to fuel disruptions, according to AAA.

Great Lakes states such as Ohio and Indiana saw the highest weekly gasoline price increases, as the national price increased 3 cents to $2.91. Prices increased in 43 states with the national price average increasing 6 cents from a month ago and 41 cents from a year ago, according to AAA.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford Motor Co. came out against President Trump's bid to relax strict fuel economy standards approved during the Obama administration, but said the initial rules didn't consider increasingly popular utility sales and continuing lower fuel prices.

The national average price of regular unleaded remained at $2.85 per gallon for the week ending Sept. 24, even as drivers in 32 states saw lower or stable prices. The price level is 1 cent higher than a month ago and 27 cents above a year ago, according to AAA.